Drain cleaner



May 1, 1923. 1,453,454

C.l=RVTZ DRAIN CLEANER Filed Jan. 2. 1920 Patented May l, 1923.

NlTED CHARLES FRITZ, CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

DRAIN CLEANER.

Application l'ed January 2, 1920. Serial No. 348,849.

To all whom. it may concem:

Be it known that I, CHARLES FRITZ, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Drain Cleaners, of which the followingl is a specification.

My invention relates to new and. useful improvements in drain cleaners, and hasfor its l object the provision of a drain cleaner which will be simple in structure, economical of manufacture, and highly efficient in use.

Another object is the provision lin a drain cleaner Iofmeans for removing the material loosened by the cleaner.

Gther objects will appear hereinafter.

The invention consists in the combinations and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

The invention will be best understoodby reference to the accompanying drawings forming a part vof this specification, and in which,

F ig.' 1 is a side elevational view of my invention,

Fig. 2 is a rearelevational view of my invention, and

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary-sectional view of my invention.

My invention is designed primarily for use in removing foreign substances from a drain pipe which are accustomed to lodge therein and clog the same.

The approved form of construction comprises a stem 6 formed on one end 'of which is a shaft 7. Rotatably mounted upon the shaft 7 is a hub 8`which is retained in position by means of a washer 9; and pins 10 which project through the shaft 7 lProjecting outwardly and inclined downwardly in a spiral manner are blades 11 which converge to and are joined together ata point 12. Mounted upon one side of the blades 11 are posts 13 which are inclined upwardly relatively to the blades 11 and are diagonally cut at their ends 14 so as to present a surface which lies in a vertical plane parallel with the vertical plane of the axis of the hub. The member 6 is provided with open-l ings 15 through which boltsl may be projected for the purpose of securing to the member 6 a flexible handle 16.

In use, the blades Which are provided with diagonally cut edges are inserted into the drain pipe, the operator retaining hold of the handle 16. As the blades pass through material or liquid in the draln pipe, the blades are caused to rotate, owing to their spirall form. In rotating, the cutting edges serve to `cut the material which is clogged in the drain pipe and loosen the same. The point 12 first enters the material and the blades 11 are rendered more eii'ective because of the converging arrangement. When the material which is clogging the drain pipe has been loosened by the blade, the same, with the use of drain cleaners heretofore constructed is allowed to remain in the drain pipe and is iushed through the drain pipe. When this material has accumulated in very -large quantities, it may again gather in large quantities and clog the drain pipe farther on, thereby rendering its removal much m-ore difficult, By obviating this difiiculty, I have provided laterally projecting and upwardly inclined posts 12, which engage the loosened material and prevent its passage further into the pipe. When the material has been loosened in sufiicient quantities, the drain cleaner is removed and with it the loosened material, inasmuch as the same clings to the posts 13.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred form of construction for carrying my invention into effect, this is capable of variation and modification without departing from the spirit of the invention. I, therefore, do not wish to be limited to the precise details of the construction set forth, but desire to lavail myself of such variations and modifications as come within the scope of the appended claims.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is,-f

1. Adrain cleaner comprising a Shaft; a hub rotatably mounted on said shaft; and cutting blades formed integral with said hub, curving outwardly therefrom and joined together at an outward point, said blades and hub-rotating automatically when said cleaner is thrust in the drain pipe, substantially as described.

2. A drain cleaner comprising a hub; cutting blades formed integral with said hub and inclined outwardly and downwardly, spirally from said hub; and posts mounted on and inclined upwardly relatively to said blades for engaging and retaining material loosened by said blades, the surfaces of the ends of said posts lying in a plane parallel with the axis of said hub, substantially as described.

3. A drain cleaner comprising a hub; a shaft rotatably mounted in said hub; a iat balli integral with said shaft and having openings for bolting a handle thereto; pointed cutting blades formed integral with said hub and inclined outwardly and downwardly,\ spirally from said hub and joined at theirpoints; and means mounted on said blades for engaging and retaining material loosened by said blades, substantially as described.

4. A drain cleaner comprising a hub; a

shaft rotatably mounted in said hubgcutting blades inclined outwardly and downwardly, spirally from said hub, converging v lin testimony whereof l have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subserlblng witnesses.

CHARLES FRlt'llZ.

Witnesses:

JOSHUA R. H. Porre, Rosie K. TMB. 

